title: Non-MS autoimmune demyelination.
abstract: Connective tissue diseases can be characterised by central nervous system (CNS) involvement, in some patients manifested by demyelination areas in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord, which are difficult to differentiate from multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating processes, such as transverse myelitis and optic neuritis. Demyelinating process may be the feature of nervous impairment in systemic lupus erythematosus, Behcet's disease (BD), Sjoegren's syndrome (SS), systemic sclerosis (SSc) or very rarely other systemic autoimmune diseases. An acute isolated neurological syndrome, as the most common symptom of MS can sometimes be the only feature or even first manifestation of nervous impairment in connective tissue disease, hence presenting the diagnostic problem. Although the white matter abnormalities seen by magnetic resonance imaging may be similar in non-MS autoimmune demyelination and MS, it is the most important diagnostic tool in the differential diagnosis of the mentioned conditions. Investigating the presence of various autoantibodies potentially involved in the pathogenesis of demyelinating lesions as well as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis can be helpful.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia. ncikes@mef.hr
authors.forename: Nada
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cikes
authors.forename: Dubravka
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bosnic
authors.forename: Mirna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sentic
mesh_terms: D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000473:pathology; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000473:pathology; D020278:Demyelinating Autoimmune Diseases, CNS / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000473:pathology; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000473:pathology; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000473:pathology